Cuba diving, Isla de la Juventud?

[halocline]

Howdy,

I'm interested in diving somewhere within reasonable distance of Havana, and certainly on the south coast, as the north probably has some extensive hurricane damage. Has anyone been to the area around Isla de la Juventud or ruta de los indios? I would welcome any advice or recommendations about Cuba diving. Thanks! It looks like I'll have 3-4 free days in the Havana area to travel and dive.

 

[halocline]

Back from my trip...I spent a weekend on Isla de la Juventud. Since there seems to be next-to-no info about Cuba on this forum, I thought I'd post a short trip report.

The island is off the south coast of Cuba and can be reached by either a catamaran or by a 35 minute flight from Havana, which is how I got there. If you do fly, get to the airport early! When you get to Isla de la Juventud, you'll be in the principle town on the island, Nueva Gerona, on the far north. The diving marina is about 30 miles to the south, just down the road from the one hotel in the area, the hotel Colony. The Colony is basically the only choice for anyone wanting to dive on Isla de la Juventud, and it's perfectly acceptable for anyone who is only looking for a decent room, passable meals, and lots of peace and quiet on the beach. The strange thing is that it seems to be mostly vacant for much of the year. I was the sole guest in the entire hotel when I checked in.

The diving is on a point about 15 miles from the marina called Punta Frances. There are lots of sites, mostly shallow, but a few walls where you can easily get as deep as you like. Visibility on the day I dove was around 60 ft, but I suspect it's normally better. It's pretty typical caribbean coral formations, not especially healthy, but some nice sponges and soft corals. There is the usual variety of small reef fishes with a few larger angels and groupers, lots of big green morays, and some nice sized lobsters.

The boat is about 40 ft, very comfortable, and slow.....As in the hotel, I was the sole client that day, along with a DM, captain, and cook. The best meal I had on my entire trip (including a week in Havana) was the lobster lunch on that boat on the way back to the marina. It's an hour or more to the reef from the marina. The reef was completely empty of other boats and divers. This place is seriously remote compared to other caribbean dive sites I've visited.

The crew was friendly and professional. We used AL80s with either DIN or yoke connections. I had an interesting conversation with the DM about the challenges of getting and maintaining quality dive gear in Cuba; I ended up leaving him a MK15/balanced-adjustable as a tip. I'm sure it was a losing proposition for them to take a 40ft boat on an all-day trip with only one diver!

 

[halocline]

An unfortunate update; I was refused a refund for cancelled dive trip by the company "cubaism" which is an online booking agency for Cuba travel. On one of my days in Isla de la Juventud, the winds were high and the dive shop cancelled the trip. I had pre-paid through Cubaism, as it was the only way to get a guaranteed trip. The dive shop told me to contact them for a refund, and when I did, they said "The dive centre does not offer refunds for trips cancelled due to weather". Of course, none of this was mentioned when I booked the trips.

What a bunch of BS. Please avoid using this agency for any Cuba travel.

 

[Jersey]

Thanks for the info, read with interest as Cuba is a bucket list trip/dive. Waiting for things to normalize and open up a bit more, if that ever happens. (Aside - read an article in newspaper that they are cracking down on permits for businesses. Don't like citizens who could own multiple businesses, travel overseas or accumulate wealth.) Not surprised the refund was refused. And what are you going to do - jump on a plane, fly down - and they know it.

 

[vam]

I had a great experience last year diving in Varadero. Our first dive was to an old Russian destroyer at just over 90'. Staff was great. Gear seemed ok, but I'd brought my own stuff. There were some small bubble trails coming from some of the rental gear. Tanks were AL80s with removable yoke adapters. I did six dives, and they were all excellent.

I'm hoping to do some diving in Cayo Coco next week. Hopefully the weather cooperates!

 

[halocline]

Thanks for the info, read with interest as Cuba is a bucket list trip/dive. Waiting for things to normalize and open up a bit more, if that ever happens. (Aside - read an article in newspaper that they are cracking down on permits for businesses. Don't like citizens who could own multiple businesses, travel overseas or accumulate wealth.) Not surprised the refund was refused. And what are you going to do - jump on a plane, fly down - and they know it.

The real problem in my case was the company Cubaism, which is a UK company that books Cuba travel experiences. since US credit cards do not work in Cuba, it's difficult for Americans to pre-book hotel or dive trips that require a deposit. Once Cubaism took my money for a dive trip, they also took responsibility for ensuring that I received the trip that I paid THEM for. Even if the dive shop refused to offer a refund, they should have issued one to me. That's part of their cost of doing business.

 

[halocline]

I had a great experience last year diving in Varadero. Our first dive was to an old Russian destroyer at just over 90'. Staff was great. Gear seemed ok, but I'd brought my own stuff. There were some small bubble trails coming from some of the rental gear. Tanks were AL80s with removable yoke adapters. I did six dives, and they were all excellent.

I'm hoping to do some diving in Cayo Coco next week. Hopefully the weather cooperates!

I would have gone for the north side of the island as it's much closer to Havana, but the hurricane really trashed things and I decided to go south. The dive guide on my boat was a nice guy and a decent guide, although the dives were limited to 45 minutes regardless of pressure. On the last dive I came up with almost 2000 PSI.

I love Cuba and will return many times, I have Cuban friends and music colleagues that are fantastic. But I'm done diving there.

 

[RyanNM]

If you're "done diving there," you will miss out on the pristine diving in los Jardines de la Reina, definitely bucket list worthy! Diving the Caribbean side of the island is superior to the Atlantic side, though I'm sure there are places there worth diving. But los Jardines is spectacular and probably has the healthiest reef in all the Caribbean. You want lots of sharks and vibrant life? Visit there.

 

[halocline]

The dive guide told me that the best way to dive in Jardines was via a liveaboard for about $3000/week. Is that true?

 

[RyanNM]

The dive guide told me that the best way to dive in Jardines was via a liveaboard for about $3000/week. Is that true?

Yes, the area is super-protected and only about 1000 divers are allowed in a year to keep it pristine, which it is. A weeklong liveaboard is the only way you can dive there. It is really special, but exclusive. I wasn't able to afford it until more recently. Along with the diving, the accommodations and food are fantastic on the Avalon II.